chronic oxycodone shortage

I have been on oxycodone for pain since 2004 or 2005. Quite a while back there was a severe shortage of the pills in most strengths.

So far this year and in 2010, I only had one problem. Each manufacturer is only allowed to make so much of the drug each year per FDA guidelines. The time resets itself every January 1st. Back in December when I got mine filled, I had to take 2 different generics in the same bottle as the first company could not produce and sell anymore until January 1st. My pharmacy is aware of the rules and just orderded in a shipment of the same medication from a different manufacturer. I believe this is the only shortage that has been going on in recent months.

Hope this helps!
Trudy

The FDA recently changed the formula and many people are switching meds because of it. I have a strong feeling that purdue is going to recall these soon as they will be losing a lot of money due to this change. I would think that a new set of generics should be available on the market in the near future.

For what it's worth, I picked up a prescription of 15mg OxyContin (name brand) two days ago and it is still the old formulation.

Jazzie, this is why it is happening.

 Purdue reformulataed the oxycontin and now there is not supposed to be any generic available, other than what has already been manufactured, and waiting to ship from suppliers to their stores. I was not able to get this med at Walmart, and was told it would no longer be available. I have found it for the past three months, and each month before I get the script to fill, I call to see if it is available on a monthly basis. Purdue did put out some coupons like for a savings of $70, I believe, that can be used monthly until March. But, oxycontin is so expensive , that does not pay much.  My physcian wants to use oxycontin, but if it becomes unavailable generically I plan to switch meds, as my insurance changed my co pays to $50-$250 monthly for non formulary name brand meds. I can buy a months worth of generic pain med for $5. BIG difference.  It was reformulated to make it less easy to crush and abuse it. This is what happens when people choose to abuse meds for uses other than what they were intended for.

Jazzie, Try Walgreens, sometimes they have some dosages.

I have not run into a problem with a shortage at all. I am in Ohio, so it may be different. I go to a local mom and pop pharmacy and I am on generic oxycodone IR 30mg. I know in the past when I have had a problem, I usually go to a Walgreens and they will have it in stock more often than other pharmacies. Especially the ones attached to the teaching hospitals that have a pain clinic on premises.

My pain doc is okay with me not using the same pharmacy to get my meds filled everytime. I usually use 2 different pharmacies and have had to occasionally search one out that has something in stock and it has never been a problem.

If you continue to not be able to get your B/T med filled, I would call your docs office and explain the problem. They should be able to direct you to a pharmacy that may have them in stock or change your B/T med to something else that is readily available.

Trudy

I am really sorry to hear about the FDA decision, but maybe in the long run it'll be a good thing. Maybe they will actually leave people alone. I tried to go with a weaker opioid for a while after getting a very minor surgical procedure that relieved pain by 50 percent for a few months. I switched to codeine, but once the nerves started coming back to life, i had to go back onto the the stronger opioid again, which is nucynta (tapentadol) 75 mgs. For me its works far better than codeine hands down and my doctor doesn't want to prescribe me oxycontin at my age being in only moderate to moderatelty severe pain (i agree with her, its just not worth the risk for me when i can get about 80 percent releif with nucynta).

Nucynta works great for me but the problem is, it seems to not work so well for a lot of people and that honestly makes me sad. Whats worse is that a lot of people would pay about 300$ per fill if their insurance didn't cover it. I pay 20 bucks but I am lucky to have a pro plus package with my job and insurance company. I got my fill today and looked at the savings for a 90 count "you saved 249.00", and my bottle is about 2.5 inches tall. The stuff is just too expensive and while they are coming out with new medications that are more potent and have higher MOR action, its likely that they will also be schedule II and atleast as pricey.

Has anyone tried the new subutex patches that are only a schedule 3, thus refillable and maybe a little more FDA and doctor friendly? Hopefully its not ultra expensive but I have a feeling those are expensive as well.

Sadly the best medication for the price seems to be oxycodone. If you can tolerate the effects, then id go with tapentadol for lower addiction risk and slower tolerance build, but many people cannot tolerate its NRI effects. Again hopefully the FDA will lay of OC for a while.

 

    I have had no problem in getting my mothly dosage here in KS. You would think that there would be some sort of dosage cap per patient on a class II med. I'm amazed that they can do this, and get enough for several months worth.

   SE

    Good information Dani! Thank you for looking it up for us!

      Maybe the new rules will help keep most of them honest now.

     SE         

 

   Yes! So true! How silly and selfesh of me not to think of that. Point well taken!

        So yes, I guess there is still some work that needs to be done in the laws on this.

      SE

  I had a  severe car accident in 2002.  My spine was crushed and I was very lucky to eventually be able to walk again.  It took six years of physical therapy, but I did it.  I suffer in severe chronic pain every day.  My doctor prescribed me oxycontin the extended release and oxycodone the short-acting to deal with my break-through pain.  Usually from doing my exercises I have to do every day religiously.  I have had an increasingly hard time getting my medication.  I was told several YEARS ago it would be a temporary shortage and not to worry.  That was completely untrue not only has the shortage not gone away, it has gotten much, much worse.  I sometimes have to go to 10 or 20 pharmacies just to get my monthy supply.  It is horrible.  I feel like some kind of junkie hunting for a fix.  I have legitimate pain issues and I go to a very reputable doctor, not one of these so called "pill mills"  I get dirty looks from pharmacy staff when I tell them that I really need the medication and they can never tell me when it will be in or if they will get it at all.  My regular pharmacy used to always have them or know when they will get them in.  Now even they are having problems.  I know that there are a lot of people abusing them and  the FDA/DEA is trying to crack down on that, but what am I supposed to do?  Just suffer.  I don't feel the government has any right telling you or your doctor that you have to suffer in pain because some degenerate can't control themselves.  What kind of country is this where the drug addict has more rights than the chroniclly ill?  Something else has to be done to fix this problem other than limiting how much of the medication can be sold.  What they should do is go after the doctors, not the pharmacies.  If there are doctors writing scripts for people who don't REALLY need them, then they should be shut down.  Not limit the manufactor or the pharmacy from getting the drug for its chroniclly ill patients.  Why don't they put restrictions on the doctors to show what is wrong with this person and do they actually need this medication.  I don't know what exactly to do, but what they are doing ISN'T working.  I cannot even walk if I don't have my medication because the pain is so great.  I have had my doctor switch my medicaion many times to see if there was something else I could take so  I would not have to deal with this shortage problem, but nothing worked as well and I always had to go back to the oxycodone.  I would be open to trying anything that might help, but so far nothing else  helps as much.   There has got to be sone other way.   If anyone out there has any ideas I would love to hear them.   Thanks

Good afternoon. My name is Dani and it is very nice to meet you. Welcome to the Healing Well Community. As you can see, we have a great support group here. Though we are always sad to hear of someone who is suffering from chronic pain... we are always glad to welcome someone new to the group!

I am sorry to hear of all the medication trouble you have to endure. The "Pill Mill" bill is for cracking down on "dirty pain clinics". So, they are going after the doctors. I posted many links that fully explain the laws and what has happened as a result.

I am terribly sorry you are having a hard time filling your prescription. Is there anyway you can get your medications filled and delivered online? Have you ever though of going to a large pharmacy, like Wal Mart? Also, this should become increasingly available....